Tag: visualization

As I sit here writing this article, it is -20ºC (-4ºF) outside. This is normal for Canadian winters. There is part of me that thinks it’s more hardcore to go outside, but there’s a much bigger part of me that wants to stick to the treadmill. It’s probably smarter to stay inside.After all, there was that one time I ran a half marathon in -35ºC with the windchill and got frostbite.

Sure running outside when the air freezes the inside of your nose is hardcore, but think about it: isn’t getting in a hard workout on the treadmill pretty darn hardcore too? Without a doubt, there is one very important thing that winter treadmill running has improved for me: my mental game. Today I will share a few of my favourite tips to use the treadmill to become more mentally hardcore. But before we get started, I need you to GET ON THE TREADMILL. Read more >>

I ran the Olympic Trials marathon course dozens of times before I ever made it to LA. The repetitive loops, the water stop navigation, the turns through the University of Southern California, the elation of the finish. I ran it all in my mind—never having taken a step on the streets. On race day, my mind was as prepared to handle the grueling 26.2 miles as my legs.

Visualization is a powerful tool for athletes. When we visualize performing an action, it activates the same brain areas we use when we actually perform that action. Visualizing a race primes your mental muscle the way speedy intervals condition your legs and lungs. By mentally rehearsing running relaxed and smooth in a goal race, you get your brain used to that state of things, so you’re ready to run relaxed and smooth on race day.

Want to use visualization to help nail your next goal race? Here are a few ways to add it to your running game. Read more >>

When you hear the word “hypnosis,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it an image of being on stage before thousands doing the chicken dance in your underwear? Is it an image of an old man with white hair dangling a pocket watch in front of you and droning, “you are getting sleepy, very, very sleepy…”

While clichés of hypnosis may make it seem like a silly party trick, it is actually a valid form of stress management practiced by licensed individuals who work hard to protect the field. In fact, hypnosis is well known for helping people quit smoking and lose weight. And it has a history in sports performance! It’s well documented that Mike Tyson used hypnosis before many of his fights.

Sure, party hypnotists still exist and continue to entertain on cruise ships and college campuses, but did you know that hypnosis can also be a tool to improve your running?

If your goal is to break 2:50 don’t picture this! (Photo of the beautiful Pepper at the 2010 Columbus Marathon!)

We all know that one of the most valuable tools in our mental training arsenal is visualization, the mental exercise of picturing ourselves succeeding. Visualize pushing through those final miles to your PR marathon to nab that PR. Visualize that OTQ time on the finishing clock with your arms raised in triumph to nab that OTQ. Visualize the top spot on the podium if you want to win. If we visualize ourselves succeeding we’re one step closer to achieving our big goals.

I went to the race alone and got there in plenty of time to register and head back to my car before my warm-up. Coach instructed me to use the 5k race as part of my training run which was to run 11 miles at 7:00 pace. I stripped off my warm-ups and headed out for a brisker than normal warm-up along the loop course that I remembered from running the race several years earlier. I noticed the familiar slight undulation and location of the turns along the course. As I went along I started feeling pretty amped up and confident this was going to be a good one for me.

I made it back to my car to change into my flats and pin on my number. I headed over to the start area and did some strides before lining up at the front since it was a smallish local race. I was nervous, but I calmed myself by focusing on little things like the bright green blades of grass or the colors and shape of the other runners racing flats. When the gun went off I strode away feeling light and free and faaaaast.

And without much effort at all I hit the first mile in 5:50, faster than I had ever run a first mile of a 5k before. My stride remained fluid and I had no problem at all maintaining a sub-6:00 for the second mile despite a more boring isolated stretch of the course. As I began my last mile I checked in, “self, what do you have left?” A lot I decided and I picked it up a little and a little and as I entered the parking lot near the finish line I knew I was on pace for a huge p.r. and I hammered. When I made the last turn and saw the clock it said 17:59 and I watched it tick down the seconds until I crossed in 18:14–a 35 second p.r.!

Why is that in italics? Because that all happened in my imagination. What really happened was I ran an 18:15 on a slightly different out and back course (course was changed since I last ran the race) with a 5:52 first mile, but everything else happened exactly as I imagined the night before the race. That my friends is the power of visualization.

When we visualize something we stimulate the same brain regions that we stimulate when we actually do the same action. How cool is that? When we visualize running a relaxed p.r. we actually train our brain to run a relaxed p.r. That’s critical when you have a brain like mine that often likes to undermine your performances. By visualizing performing a relaxed p.r. race before that great 5k I told my brain that relaxed and focused is normal rather than the constant loop of negative thoughts and anxiety that my brain was accustomed to performing during races.

Visualization is more than just a mental dress rehearsal, although that may be it’s most powerful use for us as runners. It can be used to help aid in relaxation, overcoming injury and so much more. It’s an essential tool in your mental training arsenal.

Like any skill, visualization takes practice. It will take most people several weeks of practice before being able to visualize an entire race morning. It will likely take several tries at a visualization exercise before being able to complete it without your mind wandering or becoming distracted. Below is an exercise to get you started.

Mental training is a critical part of running your best and is an oft overlooked aspect of training. Today’s post I will highlight the basics of mental training.

The four main skills of mental training are:

Relaxation

Visualization

Affirmation

Concentration

Relaxation: This sounds obvious, but for many of us, running while relaxed is a hard skill to come by and will take lots of practice. There will be many posts outlining the benefits of relaxation and exercises to do to become a zen master on the run.

Visualization: This is the hardest to master of the mental skills I’ve outlined, but it’s a critical one. We must dream it to achieve it! We will post tutorials and exercises so by race day you’ll have already pictured yourself running every step to achieving your goal.

Affirmation: With our posts on affirmation we will teach you to become your own best cheerleader. Don’t fear being silly and Stuart-Smalley-esque, affirming your greatness is a must to achieving your potential.

Concentration: Running your best takes focus and that’s not always easy when there’s smack-talking or guys dressed in cow costumes passing you up Heartbreak Hill (true story!) Our posts on concentration will help you have the laser-like focus you need to run your best.